Canadiens second in ticket revenue

The Toronto Star has obtained a copy of an internal NHL report that shows Canadiens second in the league in per-game ticket revenue.

The team garnered $1.7 million for each home game this season. That’s a whopping 30.8 per cent increase over the 2006-’07 season and second only to the Leafs’ $1.9 million per game.

Canadian clubs hold six of the top seven revenue spots. The Rangers make $1.3 million per game, tied with Calgary and just behind third-place Vancouver’s $1.4 million. Ottawa and Edmontonm each make $1.2 million.

Biggest percentage increases were in Chicago, up 42.8 per cent, and New Jersey, where a move to the new Prudential Center in Newark helped boost per-game revenue by 41.6 per cent.

Thwe biggest drop was in Phoenix, where ticket revenue fell 18.2 per cent to $450,000 per game.

Detroit’s per-game revenue declined 10 per cent to $1 million. Don Cherry would attribute this to the lack of a Bob Probert in the Wings’ lineup, but a likelier explanation is job losses in the U.S. auto industry and its Motor City spinoffs.